Drug bust

Yesterday’s sweep of several homes and bars by South Simcoe Police represents an important victory in the war on illegal drugs in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
That’s according to South Simcoe Police Staff Sgt. John Van Dyke.
Dubbed Project Full Moon, yesterday’s bust was the culmination of a five-week undercover operation relating to drug and stolen property trafficking in Bradford and involved assistance from Barrie Police and Toronto Police.
The operation identified a bar in Bradford as a main source of criminal activity and six search warrants were executed, leading to the arrests of four local men, ages 33, 43, 50 and 51. They face charges of possession of a controlled drug, possession for the purpose of trafficking, conspiracy to commit trafficking, break, enter and theft, possession of stolen property, trafficking in stolen property, breach of undertaking and breach of recognizance.
The men were to appear in Barrie Court today for a bail hearing.
“We’re pretty confident that we’ve made a significant dent in street-level drug trafficking in Bradford,” Staff Sgt. Van Dyke said.
Police would not confirm which bar was the subject of their investigation, but Staff Sgt. Van Dyke did note the owner of the establishment was among those arrested and now facing charges.
“People involved in drug trafficking were patrons of the bar,” he said. “There was also trafficking going on at the bar.”
Several South Simcoe Police cruisers descended on a downtown parking lot behind Timmy D’s Irish Pub early yesterday afternoon and remained there for much of the day. Officers were seen going in and out of the bar as well.
Reactions from the establishment's neighbours varied.
"He was a very nice guy," La Gondola Pizzeria owner Giuseppe Altomonte said of the bar's owner. "Sometimes I would bring a pizza or some sandwiches over there.
"He was a good guy and I never charged him for delivery because he was right next door."
Given that impression, Mr. Altomonte said he was taken aback by yesterday's raid.
"It was a shock," he said. "I'd never have expected him to have those kinds of problems."
However, the police activity was no surprise for another downtown shopkeeper, who requested not to be identified.
The bar had a bad reputation going back at least a decade and serviced a rough clientele, the source said, adding it was open at bizarre hours and something had long seemed amiss.
Arrest warrants and charges are pending against another 17 people, one of whom was picked up this morning Staff Sgt. Van Dyke said.
However, he couldn’t say how many of those being sought were from Bradford, nor could he say in what way Toronto and Barrie officers were involved in the investigation.
More than 130 charges have been laid or are pending.
During the course of the investigation, officers seized small quantities of what is believed to be cocaine, marijuana, oxycontin, morphine and methadone with a street value of about $20,000.
And while Staff Sgt. Van Dyke didn’t say if the illegal activities were connected to any particular group, he did remark that there was certainly “a level of organization to it.”
Stolen property, including a motorcycle and computer system, was also recovered.
A 2002 SUV belonging to one of the men was also seized and police are pursuing a suspension of the bar’s liquor licence, Staff Sgt. Van Dyke said.